Wedding guest list template for Indian weddings (free spreadsheet, per-event columns)

Most guest-list templates online assume one event and one RSVP column. An Indian wedding has five functions and different lists for each, so the spreadsheet has to be shaped differently. This one is.

How the template is laid out

• One row per guest or family: a family RSVPs as one party, so treat it as one row with a party size.
• Side and group, bride/groom/both; family/friends/colleagues/neighbours. Filtering by group is how you send the reception-only list its own message.
• Phone with country code and email: for the WhatsApp invite and the rare email.
• One column per event for “invited?” (Mehendi, Haldi, Sangeet, Wedding, Reception), tick Y/N. Rename or add columns for your functions.
• Invite sent (date), so you know who has been messaged.
• One column per event for the RSVP, yes/no/maybe, so every function has its own headcount.
• Plus-ones confirmed and meal preference (veg/Jain/non-veg), what the caterer needs.
• Stay needed, hotel, arrival and departure dates, for out-of-town guests.
• Notes: “needs ground-floor room”, “reception only”, “Mausi’s family”.

Three formulas that save time (Google Sheets / Excel)

1. Headcount per event: =SUMIF(N:N,"yes",G:G): sums party size for rows that said yes to that event’s RSVP column.
2. Invited but not answered: =COUNTIFS(H:H,"Y",N:N,""), your reminder list for that event.
3. Veg vs non-veg for the caterer: =COUNTIFS(T:T,"veg",Q:Q,"yes") etc., per event.

When the spreadsheet stops being enough

The template is a great start and fine for a small wedding. It gets painful when 150 people are RSVPing by replying in chats and someone has to type it all in. At that point the guest list wants to live where the RSVPs arrive: on Shaadify the Guests tab is this same structure (families, party size, events per guest), every guest gets a personal WhatsApp link, their answers fill the list themselves, and you export the same CSV back out for the caterer.